By Chrissy Iley
I’ve been watching Victoria Beckham grow and grow. Her show with its masculine tailoring mixed with frivolous chiffon was a star of New York fashion week because the clothes looked elegant but wearable. I’ve always loved Victoria’s sense of humour and sense of style and general fashion intelligence. I’ve always loved the way she can rock a hairstyle and she starts a trend that’s copied by millions. When Victoria had the big hair and the big hair extensions so did everyone else. When she had the bob millions copied. In recent years her hair has been all about simplicity and shine. It in itself is the thing that makes the big hair as favoured by so many pop stars look dated. She likes to set herself apart from everyone, never more so than when doing a show. All the models had hair that was sort of Beckhamised. Centre parting, natural, glossy. Somehow all this overtly natural hair looked it had found its own edge, its own cool. The Redken global creative style director called it “a resurgence of a new idea of luxury in hair. Very clean hair that’s left to dry naturally.” Guido went on to say, “I love using Diamond Oil Shampoo and Conditioner to obtain this level of shine. The simplicity of washing your hair and letting it dry gives an almost childlike shine quality to the hair which feels new again. These days it seems like a blow dry now seems forced compared to an air dried look.”
So basically if you want to look like you belong in 2017 you do a super moisturising and shining shampoo and dry your hair naturally with your fingers and a brush. All importantly you finish by tucking your hair behind your ears. All of Victoria’s catwalk model revealed ears. OK, so that’s the look but it doesn’t mean I’m ever going to try it. I’m afraid of my ears and always have been and I don’t feel myself unless my hair has been blow dried within an inch of its life and every possible volumising and lifting product has been used on it. So yes I’m worried that I’m going to look like someone from another century but I just can’t do it. My hair doesn’t shine and when it’s dried naturally it just goes limp and frizzy because it’s had so many different colour products and despite the very effective conditioning treatments Oloplex which goes in my hair every time it’s coloured, if I don’t have highlights I feel naked. Highlights, yes that very old fashioned thing that gives body to the hair are the very thing that made me feel good and will make me look last century.
Could I just tone down the volume? No. Mark Smith of John Frieda, my hairdresser of many many years takes pride in his ability to blow dry my hair and make it look like someone else’s hair because I don’t want my hair clinging to my head and face. I don’t care about shine. I just want hair. Someone else’s if need be.
I have been a disciple of Victoria Beckham’s for ever. Her taste is impeccable but the death of the blow dry, as exciting as it may be, as elegant as it may look, would be the death of me.
